VA Issuers Show Optimism: Morningstar
This report on first-quarter changes to variable contracts, produced by Morningstar's John McCarthy, is a must-read for anyone trying to stay abreast of the VA market.
‘Changing of the Guard’ Continues in VA Sales
MetLife is selling one-third of what it was two years ago. Prudential is selling half of what it did in the first two quarters of 2012. The biggest gainers...
Morningstar issues quarterly VA survey
Trends appearing in a slow quarter: A focus on 'investment-only' contracts, buybacks to reduce liabilities, and new living benefit structures that shift risk to the contract owner.
VA Issuers Limit Inflows in 3Q: Morningstar
During 3Q 2013, carriers filed 84 annuity product changes. AXA Equitable made a buyout offer, several carriers limited new payments to contracts, and Jackson National made living benefits available...
Lots of Little VA Changes in Q2
Morningstar's Annuity Solutions product manager provides a review of changes to variable annuity contracts in the second quarter of 2013. Transamerica issued 32 new contracts and The Hartford closed...
VA Issuers Keep On Tweakin’
Carriers filed 97 VA product changes in the first quarter of 2013, down from 101 in the fourth quarter of 2012 and 59 in Q1 of last year. Benefits...
Variable Annuity Carriers ‘Mix It Up’ in Q4
"We may be at an inflection point, with the first carriers beginning to tweak products in small ways for competitive advantage despite the ongoing low interest rate environment," writes...
Morningstar VA Product Update
Carriers are dealing with the reality that living benefits are costly to maintain, so activity is being sought elsewhere as the wait continues for interest rates to rise, according...
